Orioles cannot allow Felix Bautista dreams to make them passive at the trade deadline

Fans of the Baltimore Orioles got a welcome update earlier this week when it was reported that All-Star closer Felix Bautista had progressed in his rehab and threw his first bullpen. Due to the long rehab process from the shoulder surgery he had last year and the Tommy John surgery he had in 2023, Bautista has barely pitched in the last three years, and yet what he did out of the Orioles bullpen in 2022 and 2023 was so impressive that many Orioles fans still view him as a key component of the Orioles' future.

With how hard Bautista throws, the pressure he puts on his elbow and shoulder is extreme. The surgery Bautista had last year for a torn rotator cuff and a torn labrum is serious, so even though it's exciting to hear that Bautista is throwing bullpens again, both the team and the fanbase would be wise to exercise restraint as far as the expectations they are putting on Bautista to return and make an impact this season.

The Orioles shouldn't bank on Felix Bautista saving their bullpen

For the fanbase, the purpose of restraint is just to avoid a letdown if Bautista doesn't make it back from his injury this year.

For the front, the purpose of restraining expectations for Felix Bautista is actionable. With an arm as talented and powerful as Bautista's, rehabbing it would be easy for the Orioles front office to convince themselves that they don't need to make a significant addition to the bullpen because they have Felix Bautista returning. This would be a mistake that the Orioles cannot afford to make.

Even if all signs point to Bautista returning at some point this season, the Orioles front office needs to proceed as if he won't be back until 2027. For two reasons.

Reason number one is that this bullpen needs help now. Even though most trades don't happen until the deadline, with the current state of the Orioles bullpen, they could use help right now. Not in a month at the deadline, and not three months from now when Bautista could return. With how bad the Orioles bullpen is right now, if they wait until Bautista returns later in the year, their bullpen might have already pushed them out of the playoff race to the point where even a miraculously fully healed Bautista wouldn't be able to help.

The other reason is that setbacks happen. No two bodies are the same, and it wouldn't be surprising if, along the way back to returning, Bautista experienced some sort of setback, especially since he's rushing to get back this year. The Diamondbacks were hopeful that Corbin Burnes might return this season, and after a setback, it seems those hopes are gone. That could happen to Bautista any day. It's not fair to make a player coming back from a serious injury be the team's savior.

If the Orioles are smart, they'll be active at this deadline, acquiring multiple bullpen arms, and if Bautista comes back later in the year, he'll be able to have a soft landing in an already strong bullpen.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow